Now Reading: US charges 11 in multi-crore sham marriage green card racket
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US charges 11 in multi-crore sham marriage green card racket
The US Department of Justice has charged 11 people for running a decade-long scheme that arranged sham marriages between Chinese nationals and American citizens to fraudulently obtain green cards. Officials say the…
The Story in Brief
The US Department of Justice has charged 11 people for running a decade-long scheme that arranged sham marriages between Chinese nationals and American citizens to fraudulently obtain green cards. Officials say the group organised over 1,000 fake weddings, charging up to $100,000 per green card and earning tens of millions of dollars. American citizens were paid as much as $30,000 to participate in the bogus marriages, which included staged wedding photos to appear legitimate. Attorney General Todd Blanche called it one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in US history.
The defendants, recruited from New York, allegedly helped immigrants through the permanent residency application process. The charges come as the Trump administration tightens both legal and illegal immigration rules. It was not immediately clear if the accused have lawyers.
The Indian Opinion
This case is being framed as a 'multi-billion dollar cottage industry' by US officials, but Indian readers should note the hyperbole. The actual amounts are in tens of millions, not billions. The narrative of a massive fraud ring played for political points over immigration crackdowns is convenient. What is concrete is the charge sheet: 1,000 fake weddings and 11 accused. The real test will be how many of the Chinese nationals who obtained green cards through this scheme are actually deported.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
